The Sunday herald., 1887-01-23

Of the passengers In these cars, or the costly
car ITSELF which they probably value more
by interposing carload Of poorer people
between il and danger. Let the strongest
cars be placed in front. If ii is necessary TO
have a car to act as buffer let an empty
freight car be put in, which may be turned
into kindling wood without loss Of life, but
put the poor mans car in as safe a place as
any. There should be some wisdom and
less arbitrary rule shown in making mp
trains.
Some Of tho papers have lately been pub
fishing with great flourish rr ,rumpets lot
Of stud about the Pacific railroads. Most of
the alleged facts in these articles are old
things rehashed, and there is nothing dis.
closed which bears out the wholesale
charges of corruption which are based upon
them. The evident object of the publica-
tions is to affect the stock market. They
are aimed at the bills for funding aud provid.
ing for the gradual extinction OF the debts
Of the Pacific railroads. Whether the de.
sired effect can he produced is doubtful,
Certainly no effect whatever ought to he
produced. The case before Congress for
action is in its general features very sim
pie one. The Pacific railroads uwe the Gov
ernment large sum of money which they
cannot possibly pay at maturity. Any at.
tempt 20 force payment of this deb, without
an extension of time will throw the companies
into bankruptcy aud compel the Govern.
ment TO become the owner of the roads sub.
ect to the first mortgage. But this Govern
mept is not prepared to own and operate
railroads. That is a business into which
no sensible person would have the
Government engage. Plain common sense,
therefore, dictates that an effort should
be made to so extend the time
for its payment, and so alter the
conditions that the roads can grad
ually reduce and finally extinguish their in
debtedness to the Government. There is no
doubt of their ability to do this. The Gov.
eminent does not need the money, and sbso-
lutely all that 1t ought TO demand is that
the debt shall he iu process of reduction
Public policy requires that this process
should be made as easy as possible for the
companies. They ought not to be compelled
to pay higher rate OF interest than
that which Government bonds bear, nor
ought their annual payments-whoh have
to come out of the profits on their traffic,
that is to say, out of the public---to he large
enough to cripple or oppress them. Congress
| aT IN int fha Inns If al
road wrecking. Still less can it afford to
be used to job the stock market. Charges
of corruption are easily made and hard to
disprove. But after all they have No proper
relation to the plain business proposition
with which Congress has to deal in settling
the question Of the Pacific Railroad indebted
ness.
Last week there was spread upon the col
umns of the daily press, with much elabora-
tion and statistics, startling statement of
the growth of juvenile depravity in this city.
Voluminous testimony as to TO the facts and
causes was offered such as to dispel any
lurking or cavilling doubts as to the truth
of these statements. But side by side with
this surprising evidence, which runs over the
boundaries of single printed column, is set
forth in the wayof remedies, what Some
preventive legislation which makes it un-
lawful for the proprietors of bar-rooms, pool
selling, and pool-playing establishments haf-
boring minors. The terms of these preven-
tive measures are perhaps expressed as rig.
orously as the English language will admit,
but were the laws ever SO severe and sweep
ing, the active minds OF those who cater 10
the downfall Of our boys will vet discover
some way in which to neu,ralize, in part at
least, their power for good. The evil is toe
deep-seated to be uprooted by remedies
which stop short solely at preventive meas
ures of reform. 1t is as much the duty OF
e the city to provide healthy amusement for
T our boys and girls as it il to establish and
0 maintain the common school system. By
: this it is not meant that the city should ex-
= ercise paternal interest Santa Clausian in
9 its character, but it ought to provide play
I grounds, where the ball and bat, the rae
r quet, the mallet, and other forms o
: popular Juvenile games may be INDUCED
a in. The city ought to provide a decen
, spot for our children 10 skate on during thu
S winter. They say that the soulless private
g corporation is responsible for the deaths Of ;
r very large number OF our population through
: ont the country every year, from lack o
d proper appliances, safeguards, sanitary con
i ditions, and the like, which should be pro
d vIded foI their employees. But here, righ
!. in our quiet non-manufacturing city, severa
II boys are drowned every winter in our treach
e erous river because the authorities are to-
70 Indifferent to order one of their men out o
h his comatoss winter condition long enougl
e to turn on the water and flush Babcock LAX
5, once in awhile. Since the last freeze-up @
j. the lake two successive snow. storms hav
,, fallen upon the ice, and the snow-alter
a. nately slush aud snow.ice-has bee
,e shoveled here and there into great piles
hi where it has frozen, making the skatin
70 abominable. An hours attention by one
10 man now and then would reconvert tn
ls surface by flushing so that our. youth coul
II enjoy this invigorating and innocent pas
?. time. II the juvenile ID denied the pool
Il room he will congregate somewhere. Nj
a. Commissioners, see that proper outlet
ID found for his energies; throw open the park
=. so that he may play tennis or ball, put
At surface on Babcock Lake SO that he ma
1t skate; establish public bath-house that h
y may swim build public boat-hiring hous
lie that he may enjoy row for price With
h his means. He should properly have all {
At these after his school is over for the day an
70 on Saturdays. II our Commissioners hav
d. no direct control of our parks, a note ad
dressed TO the United States authori,ie
would do much toward, II II did not brin
as about, the necessary order Immediately
be Talk it up; do something Looking at Tia
Ii matter in the broad light OF true humanity
ht We are individually and corporately respor
IL sble for the moral as we'll as the intellectui
st welfare of our youth as q class. Let us nj
I'D stop at measures which aim only to kee
3. tha,n away fran had inhuencps but ms